There has NEVER been a CMA presentation as good as this and there never will be. This was truly a historic moment in Country Music right here! Now, excuse me while I go ride the John Denver Experience at the South Park fair…..
Charlie Rich's son stated that he was on pain killers (he had broken his foot prior) and had been drinking that night in the Green room so by the time Rich presented, he was pretty wasted. His son also stated that his father was truly embarrassed by what happened and it had adversely affected (by many in the Country musuc business) him careerwise for a decade afterward.
Shoulda just gaslit the press, “Oh, I was doing a curse-his-genius bit. It was just a gag. The unfunny truth is, nobody loves and respects John more than me.”
Like…a…boss. Everyone in attendance laughed. The fact that a narrative was crafted to savage Charlie for this is an even funnier joke. If what he did was “so terrible” then why not retroactively award the award to the “correct” winner? John Denver was a class act and would have known Charlie was horsing around and would have completely accepted, laughed and been gracious at having his award “taken away”…
Note: Charlie Rich was a very talented jazz pianist in Memphis long before Sam Phillips persuaded him to cut some songs for Sun. Charlie had no investment in whatever "country " music was at the time this show was broadcast. No doubt he was impaired, as was his sense of humor, but whatever his motive, I doubt it had anything to do with objecting to Denver as not being "country" music.
Barbara Mandrell, Olivia Newton-John, John Denver…Then they shunned Sturgill Simpson. I guess they learned their lesson when he showed up at the awards show and busked for hours out front bc they didn’t say shit to Jelly Roll.
He was one of the old guard that gave Olivia Newton-John (who had won the many CMA awards the year before) a hard time when she began having her early hits because she wasn't from Nashville although he was quick enough to get her as his opening act the first chance he got. Hypocrite.
Too much has been made of this. John Denver and Charlie Rich were both GREAT artists. Charlie was just pulling a little prank after enjoying himself backstage.
Keep wondering what Charlie Rich would have done in 2024 at the ACM award show. He might have set the whole place on fire. Also two songs come to mind - Barbara Mandrell’s “ I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” & Alan Jackson’s “ Gone Country” . The one thing you can count on is change as the years go by.
He was the best Folk musician that ever was .See there are those that are strict Southern ,and if you're not from the South forget it. I can picture Hank Jr. touring the East Coast lol never would happen .
That's what the music industry is . Charlie Rich what a jerk to do that . Believe me there's a lot of slime in the Industry .It's a crude business behind the scenes . Most of them are devils .
super, díky dokument. Nechápu proč to ČT nemá na iVysílání.. "nelze přehrát z licenčních důvodů".. Tak ČT natáčí z našich peněz tyhle dokumenty, ale pak nám je nenechá ani přehrát. Debilové.
As a long term country fan, fuck Charlie Rich's drunken ass. I honestly can't think of a single song he has. I get that maybe this was his idea of a joke, but it's never come across that way. It's always come across as hateful and spiteful to me.
Charlie Rich was an ignorant, full of himself as*hole to the core ! John Denver was a great and wonderful man who had more talent in his little toe than Rich had in his whole body.
What y'all think about Luke Combs? I was in Uptown Charlotte last summer and the streets were packed with the prettiest country girls because he was performing. Does Combs have the prettiest fan base or is there another country singer that has even more pretty fans?
